How to Skate Backwards

Suppose you are the best ice hockey player in your town and you are playing an important match. All this while, you have been skating like a champ. But you have no idea how to skate backwards. In order to go back, you have to take several twists and turns, but in the meantime, your opponents have already reached their destination. Would you like to face a situation like this? Guess not. So, for that, you have to learn to skate backwards on ice, or anywhere else. Wondering how you can do that? Well, here are some simple tips that will teach you in no time.

The Steps

Don't you just love ice skating every winter? I am sure, that now that winter is approaching, your skates are set to come out, just waiting to be used. Impress your friends with your new trick on how to ice skate with the help of these tips. Skating backwards on ice is a bit difficult but once you master the basic, there's nothing like it.

Stand Straight
The first thing that you need to do is, stand straight. If you feel that you are falling backwards, then just put your chin up and slightly bend your knees. Don't worry, this happens to all.

Confidence is What You Need
First things first. The most important step is having enough confidence in yourself and in what you are doing. How can you achieve this? By practice. Just practice rolling backwards down a gentle slop every single day or just by pushing off from a wall or something of that sort. But before you do that, make sure that the place where you are practicing is free from any kind of debris because otherwise, you could land up in the hospital due to some accident. While going backwards, just get used to the feeling of moving backwards. One of the important skating tips is that if you feel that you are losing your balance, then scissor your skates. Keep practicing this till you are confident about it.

Keep Feet Closer
As a beginner, do not keep your legs far apart while you are learning. That won't be of much help. Keep your skates closer than your shoulder's width.

Maintaining Speed
Confident now? Great! Now the next step is to maintain your speed. While rolling in a straight line with one skate, with the other try sculling, that is, keep pushing yourself backwards with an outwards stroke. Now bring the skate which you were using to scull, and then again, repeat the same process. Make sure that you put most of your weight on the skate which is moving straight and not the one with which you are sculling. Now, try the same thing using the other foot. Again keep doing this till you are confident enough.

Increase Your Speed Now
Once you are confident that you can scull with either foot, the next thing that you have to do is, increase your speed. Try some of your own tricks now. Scull with either feet or with both simultaneously.

Scull and Be Aware
While you keep one foot straight, keep sculling with the other. You can do that simultaneously with both feet. Concentrate on what you are doing but don't get so involved, that you don't see where you are going. If you are not watching your back, you might just bang against something or someone.

Skate Backwards on Inline Skates

Here are some tips which will teach you to skate on inline skates. Follow them and you will be an expert in it.

Just Roll and Move
First thing that you have to do is roll forward wearing your skates, then you wind up your torso, in the direction opposite to the direction in which you will turn when you jump.

Release Weight and Unwind Torso
Now, you jump up and while doing that, release the weight from your skates. Next, you unwind your torso and quickly turn 180 degrees, while ensuring at this time that your weight is not on your skates. With this, you will land facing the opposite direction but you will still be rolling in the same direction.

Watch Where You Are Going
When you are skating, do keep a watch as to where you are going. Do not get so immersed in skating that you go and hit against a wall.

Keep Carving and Speed Up
While rolling, keep carving till you are comfortable with rolling backwards. Then, exert pressure on the scull foot in order to speed up. This is almost similar to when you skate forward, but the only difference is, that you do not lift up your skate while skating backwards. Then jump up again, spin 180 degrees and face forward again.

So put on those skates of yours and practice hard so that you can surprise your friends this winter. But be sure to wear all the necessary safety gears before you practice!